Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Latest On Rajon Rondo

February 18th, 2014 at 10:38am CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks are making one last push to acquire Rajon Rondo from the Celtics, but they’re convinced it’s a futile attempt even as they do so, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. It sounds as if New York is doing its due diligence to make sure the four-time All-Star is truly out of reach as the trade deadline nears. Sources tell Sean Deveney of The Sporting News there’s “very little chance” the Celtics find a suitable trade partner for Rondo, and that’s consistent with most reports. Here’s more from Deveney:

Boston is looking for a young player with All-Star potential plus multiple first-round draft picks for Rondo, Deveney says, adding that some would-be suitors are scared off by Rondo’s ACL injury last year. Teams that have called often abandon their pursuit once they realize the asking price, as Deveney explains.
The Kings highly value Ben McLemore, one of the players reportedly in their proposed Rondo trade, but the C’s would want a more well-established player in return, according to Deveney.
The Raptors don’t possess the assets to land Rondo, unless they get involved in a multi-team deal, Deveney writes.

Celtics Rumors: Rondo, Bradley, Sullinger

February 18th, 2014 at 8:31am CST by Chuck Myron

Other teams around the NBA appear to have joined the Knicks in their belief that Danny Ainge is more willing to move Rajon Rondo than he’s letting on. The Kings have reportedly made an offer for Rondo, while the Raptors have their eyes on him, too. The C’s appear to be demanding a pair of unprotected first-round picks for their All-Star point guard. Sources tell Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald that those picks would have to be virtually guaranteed to come within the top few selections, even though Boston wouldn’t insist that both picks come in the same year. Here’s more on the C’s:

Bulpett hears that teams around the league have called the Celtics about Rondo, Avery Bradley, Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk, Jeff Green and Kris Humphries, as the Herald scribe writes in the same piece. While none of those talks are ongoing, the Celtics would like to make some kind of deal this week, according to Bulpett.
The C’s are open to acquiring a major player, Bulpett notes, and they’ll go into the tax if necessary, as Ainge explains to Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe. “We would go over the cap for the right deal,” Ainge said. “We’re not going to go over the cap just for the cap’s sake, just because we’re not a playoff team this year, most likely, unless we turn things around quickly. I think that it would not be prudent to be a tax-paying team this year. But if we needed to be a tax-paying team to make a certain acquisition, we certainly would. We have the support of ownership and I think we have the best ownership in basketball. And they would certainly be willing to spend the money. It’s not that; it’s just the competitive advantage to stay under the tax for future years and to allocate our money the best that we can.”
Ainge tells Holmes that there are “a lot of different directions we could go,” and that the team could either make an upgrade or do a deal that furthers the rebuilding process. Ainge is also keeping an open mind regarding the team’s store of draft picks, of which there could be as many as 17 in the next five years. “You know what, I look at them as 17 opportunities to draft some really good players,” Ainge said. “Or maybe 12 opportunities to draft and five to trade, or five to draft and 12 to trade. It depends on the players.”

Raptors Interested In Rajon Rondo

February 17th, 2014 at 10:36pm CST by Zachary Links

We can add another team to the list of clubs that have interest in Celtics star Rajon Rondo. The Raptors have their eye on Rondo as they listen on offers for their own starting point guard, Kyle Lowry, writes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.

Rondo has several fans in the Toronto front office and the Raptors are eager to bring in a bonafide star. Of course, the Celtics and GM Danny Ainge have gone on record many, many times to say that they won’t part ways with Rondo. However, anything is possible and at the very least, the phone lines have been open in Boston.

The Knicks still want to pair Rondo with pending free agent Carmelo Anthony, though it’s hard to see them putting together the necessary pieces to swing such a deal. Earlier tonight, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reported that a deal sending Rondo to the Kings for Isaiah Thomas, Ben McLemore, and two picks was nixed due to the C’s star being unwilling to re-sign with Sacramento in the summer of 2015.

Spears On Rondo, Lin, Barnes, Turner

February 17th, 2014 at 8:36pm CST by Zachary Links

Can the Rockets keep soaring past the All-Star break? In his latest power rankings, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports brings Houston up from No. 7 to No. 4, putting them right behind the Heat, Pacers, and Thunder. Will they make a big splash in the days to come to hold their spot? Spears has the goods on that and more..

According to a source, the Kings offered the Celtics Isaiah Thomas, Ben McLemore, and two picks for Rajon Rondo. However, Rondo wasn’t interested in re-signing with Sacramento.
While the Rockets would love to trade Omer Asik, a source says they won’t trade reserve Jeremy Lin due to the scoring value he brings.
Sources tell Spears that Warriors executives have informed forward Harrison Barnes that, barring a blockbuster offer, he will not be traded before Thursday’s deadline. Recently, Warriors owner Joe Lacob said that he hopes to keep Barnes for the long haul.
The 76ers want to move Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes and could act as a third team in a significant trade.
Raptors coach Dwane Casey is in the final year of his deal but Spears hears that he has impressed GM Masai Ujiri.
The Pelicans could be trading guard Austin Rivers and the rights to D-League guard Pierre Jackson between now and Thursday.
The Kings are in the market for a veteran backup point guard who can push the ball up the floor.
With several teams looking for backup point guards, Bucks veteran Luke Ridnour could be on the move.

Southeast Rumors: LeBron, Bosh, Beaubois

February 17th, 2014 at 3:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

Cavs owner Dan Gilbert still believes strongly that LeBron James will entertain the idea of signing with the Cavs either this summer or next if the Heat‘s run of titles ends, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. There are plenty of hypotheticals in that statement, but if James does return, Kyrie Irving‘s development means the move would more closely resemble James’ decision to hook up with other stars in Miami than a simple homecoming, Berger opines. Here’s more from another of the Heat’s trio of big names:

Chris Bosh won’t pester LeBron about where he’ll choose to play next, but Bosh offered up a hint about his own free agency, explaining to Sam Amick of USA Today that he’s moved past the idea of being a team’s No. 1 option. “I’m over it,” Bosh said. “It’s just all about winning at the end of the day. It’s about being in the game. I mean everybody isn’t meant to take the last shot. Everybody isn’t going to be the MVP. It’s only for a very, very small percentage, for a small percentage of guys. I understand that, and I’m just lucky enough to be in this situation I am now, just competing at the highest level in the league. That’s good enough for me.”
There’s no chance Rodrigue Beaubois will work out for the Wizards, two sources tell J. Michael of CSNWashington.com, contradicting a weekend report that indicated Beaubois would audition for the Wizards and Grizzlies.
Gerald Wallace is still upset with the Bobcats for what he says happened when they traded him at the 2011 deadline, as he tells Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders. Wallace says the Bobcats told him they wouldn’t trade him, then dealt him anyway without giving him an explanation.

Celtics Seek Two Unprotected Picks For Rondo?

February 17th, 2014 at 12:26pm CST by Chuck Myron

12:26pm: Grantland’s Zach Lowe has also heard that the Celtics are demanding a pair of unprotected first-rounders for Rondo (Twitter link).

11:21am: The Celtics asking price for Rajon Rondo is “said to be” two unprotected first-round picks, as Sam Smith of Bulls.com writes in his weekly leaguewide roundup. That would be quite a hefty ransom for the four-time All-Star whom Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has consistently maintained is off-limits for a trade.

Few NBA teams surrender so much as one unprotected first-round pick via trade these days, never mind two, so it seems unlikely any team would match that price. The Knicks have consistently made Rondo a target, and they reportedly believe that Ainge is more amenable to a Rondo trade than he’s let on. The Knicks can’t give up a first-rounder for a draft earlier than 2018. Ainge served up his latest dismissal of Rondo trade talk this weekend, calling it “all a little crazy.”

The Suns, Rockets and Mavericks were also linked to Rondo last month, though there’s been little chatter connecting the point guard to those teams since. Rondo is set to become an unrestricted free agent after next season, but he’s expressed a desire for a long-term future in Boston.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Celtics, Love

February 16th, 2014 at 3:31pm CST by Zachary Links

Carmelo Anthony wants a championship in New York, but he’s realistic about the Knicks‘ chances of making something major happen between now and the trade deadline. “I don’t know man, I don’t know who’s tradeable, who’s on the block. Not many people that I think can come right now in February and change our whole season around. This is a difficult time,” Melo said. More out of the Atlantic..

Not everyone on the Knicks is earning their keep, but Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com highlights three players that are, including mid-season pickup Jeremy Tyler. Tyler’s averaging 16.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per 36 minutes and hitting 55.6 percent of his field goals – solid numbers for a guy making $560K. Of course, this is all in a relatively small sample size of 174 total minutes.
Is Boston still a free agent destination? Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe asked several prominent NBA players at the All-Star break about how’d they’d feel about (hypothetically) playing for the Celtics and he got back some positive responses. Washburn writes that the last major free agent to come to Boston might have been Xavier McDaniel back in 1992.
Count Kevin Love, a free agent in 2015, amongst those who believe that the Celtics are still a draw for free agents, tweets Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe. “Boston is a great city. I’m sure free agents would love to go there, especially with [Brad Stevens] as a coach,” said the All-Star.

Atlantic Rumors: ‘Melo, Woodson, Knicks, Sixers

February 15th, 2014 at 2:20pm CST by Charlie Adams

Carmelo Anthony assured reporters that both he and Mike Woodson would be present at the Knicks’ Monday morning’s practice after the All-Star break, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. Woodson has been on the hot seat seemingly all season, and trade rumors involving Anthony have started circulating in recent months. For the time being, it looks like both Woodson and Anthony will remain in New York. Here’s more on the Knicks and the Atlantic Divsion:

The Knicks roster looks to be set for now, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reports (via Twitter) that no trades appear imminent in New York.
By contrast, the Sixers are looking for potential deals, passes along Kyler (via Twitter). We heard last Tuesday that Philly was set to be “super active” in the days leading up to the trade deadline.
Strong seasons by Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk prove that the Celtics are able to make the most out of their drafts, regardless of the position they’re picking from, writes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. Sullinger was taken with the 21st pick in 2012, and Olynyk was taken 13th overall last summer.

Celtics GM Ainge Talks Trade Deadline

February 15th, 2014 at 11:38am CST by Cray Allred

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is staying in Boston during the All-Star festivities to work through the final week of Thursday’s trade deadline, along with many of his colleagues. He told Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald how the final days could shape up for the Celtics and the rest of the league. The whole interview is worth a read, and here are some of the highlights:

On what kind of deal the Celtics are looking for:

“We would do a deal to make our team better and use assets to get better right away. And we would also move veteran players to create flexibility and get draft picks. So we could go either way right now. But right now I think it’s a feeling-out process. I’m not talking about getting three wins better. I’m talking about being able to be significantly better next year.”

On the current landscape of buyers and sellers across the league:

“I don’t have a trading partner as of this moment. Right now there’s just a lot of people trying to feel out what everybody’s trying to accomplish. A lot of it is teams wanting to find out where everybody is in case there’s a chance to do a three- or four-team, multiple-team deal, in case there isn’t something that will work with just two teams. But I think everybody’s still trying to figure out what are the goals of each team going forward. And some teams don’t have as clear goals as other teams have.”

On the continued rumors of Rajon Rondo‘s availability, despite the team’s insistence to the contrary:

“I honestly haven’t paid that much attention to it. I’ve been asked those questions before, but I don’t know anything about those rumors. It’s all a little crazy.”

Rockets Notes: Trade Targets, Bynum, Asik

February 14th, 2014 at 12:34pm CST by Chuck Myron

No NBA executive makes deadline trades as often as Rockets GM Daryl Morey does, so Houston figures to get involved in the fun on Thursday. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle takes a broad look at the moves the Rockets have considered so far and the ones they might make in the next six days, and we’ll hit the highlights here:

Feigen hears the Rockets have been on the lookout for a backup wing player who’s a strong defender and can catch and shoot. That desire eclipsed the team’s pursuit of a power forward or a perimeter player who can create off the bounce. It’s not entirely clear from Feigen’s wording whether the team is currently seeking that sort of backup wing.
The Rockets had talks last month with Andrew Bynum before he signed with the Pacers, a source tells Feigen. Houston didn’t extend an offer, but Feigen isn’t sure whether that’s because the team didn’t think Bynum could contribute or whether it’s simply a reflection of the team’s intention to hold on to Omer Asik.
Morey says that he continues to focus on improving the club for the future, though he admits he’s putting a greater emphasis on helping the present incarnation of the team than at past trade deadlines, Feigen notes. The Chronicle scribe also points to concerns about the length of Courtney Lee‘s contract as the reason the Rockets passed on a December trade that would have sent Asik to Boston for Lee and Brandon Bass. That’s a signal of the team’s reluctance to add commitments beyond next season, Feigen concludes.